Complete Darkness
by Essence of Chaos
Summary: Upon waking, she finds she has no recollection of who she was, and according to Ra's, she chose this, but why? Pre-Batman Begins, three-part series. Eventual OC x Bane.


The echo of silence was the only thing to reach my ears as I stared ahead. Wait, was I even awake? I could barely tell anymore. I was trapped within complete darkness, complete silence. I merely floated there, feeling nothing. I cannot recall anything before this darkness. Was there a before? Did I even exist before this? If so, who had I been? Was I a male, or was I a female? I knew nothing, I felt nothing. I could hardly tell if I was asleep or if I was awake. I knew I had a basic understanding of whatever language I am speaking. I can form and think coherent thoughts, but everything else is unknown, different. Perhaps I was a deaf mute who was left in the tub for too long? No. I could feel water around me, but that was all I could feel. I was far too weak to move, and each time I did I felt what seemed to be vines keeping me from moving much, if at all. Perhaps I was stuck in some form of lesser purgatory, to live my days out in complete silence and darkness. Perhaps I was being punished for something I never knew about. Or I did know, but I had long since forgotten. How long had I been here, wherever here was?

Something changed about my surroundings. The dark exploded with bright, blinding light and I experienced something new, something I recognized as pain. I did not like pain, I decided. It was far too annoying to deal with. I made no move to shield my eyes, and instead shut them. I listened as voices swirled around in the air, though my disoriented and slow brain could not make out anything that was being said. I was lifted, slowly, from the container. Or at least, I think it was a container. How long had I been inside? My body was set on something soft and warm, and slowly my eyes opened. The vines had actually been IVs, if I had the strength up enough to look at what I was being 'fed,' I would assume it was nutrients, food, water. Everything to keep me healthy and alive. Why? The voices around me blurred together once more, and all I could do was lay there. I could not sigh, I could not move, my muscles were probably atrophied If so, how long had I been within that container and better yet, why was I in that container in the first place?

Pain once again probed my mind as needles were pulled from my skin and I was sat up. My eyes could not make heads or tails of anything, they were blurry from lack of use. Or maybe they had been used, they had not seen the light of day for what was probably a long time, just as I had not. Slowly my vision fixed itself, and in front of my stood a tall man, lined with lean muscles and facial hair. His eyes spoke of his age, as did the creases along his face. He offered a slight smile while I simply stared up at him blankly. He was a man, but what defined him as a man? Better yet, how did I know that?

"Who are you?" His voice was very soft, yet strong, and he spoke to the point. My head tilted up towards him, my eyes focusing on his dark brown gaze. "I don't know." My voice was ragged, rough from lack of use and seemed to be female. The man in front of me shifted and grabbed me a glass of liquid. He lifted it to my lips, helping me drink. My throat felt soothed from the cool liquid. He stepped back and set the glass to the side, watching as I wobbled from my sitting position. He reached forward, grasping my shoulders gently, stilling me. "You were in there far too long, your muscles can barely hold you up." The man frowned and I shrugged. I knew what he spoke of, but I did not see why it mattered. "I am not to be blamed." My voice was curt and my head nodded slowly as I tried to lift my arm up, but to no avail.

"No, no you are not. I am glad to see that worked." The man chuckled lightly, my brow quirking at his amusement. "What worked?" I blinked as he motioned towards the container I had been in for who knows how long. "That, it is typically used as a torture device. No sound, no feeling, robbed of all five senses. People forget who they are in there." The man seemed all to happy about this. "Why was I in it?" My head tilted slightly as the man laid me back and smiled. "You offered, young one." He turned and grabbed a blanket to cover me with. "Rest now, for tomorrow your new life truly begins." He nodded his head towards me, and I nodded from my lying position. Part of me felt odd as I closed my eyes, returning to the darkness that I had been in for as long as I could remember, which truly was not a long time at all.

The next day I woke up and this time the light was not as blinding as it had been. Once more the man with facial scruff was standing next to me. "I have decided your name shall be Persephone." He smiled as I scowled, causing his smile to weaken. "The goddess of flowers and the wife of Hades?" I stared at him, disbelieving as I shook my head. "I do not like the name." He paused a moment, sighing as he leaned over me. "Then what would you wish your name to be?" I paused and found nothing come to me. "I do not know. I will be Nameless." I nodded my head and the man chuckled. "Not very original, but fitting." He paused and reached out to grasp a lock of my hair, which I noticed was a dark maroon color. "You will be under going therapy. Once that is done, and you can move around, your true training will begin." He let the lock of hair fall from his grip before he spun on his heel and walked away.

Over the course of a few days someone had come in and began to move my appendages for me. They began to work the muscles in my arms and legs first, and it had admittedly hurt quite a bit. They then moved onto the muscles in my fingers and toes until I could move them on my own. From there I was taught to walk and various other things. I did not look like skin and bones finally as my muscles built up beneath my skin. The man from before, who remained as nameless as I, had finally come in after I finished my training. "I see you are doing well, Nameless." He offered a smile that I returned as I nodded. "I am. It was difficult and painful, but I seem to be able to move around just fine." I demonstrated by lifting my arm up and sliding onto my bare feet. I had come to the realization that I had been naked the entire time, but I had no reason to know modesty. It was a silly thing anyway.

"Good, so you will be able to start your true training soon." He was about to leave, until I cleared my throat, signalling I wanted to talk. "You know. You have not given me a name, nor a reason for everything that is going on. So who are you and what is this place?" I stared up at the man as he let out a soft chuckle and stroked his beard slowly. "Ra's Al Gul and all of this, Nameless, is part of the League of Shadows." He spoke, seemingly proud as I stared at him, my expression dull. "Interesting. Well, I am going to sleep." I turned back towards my bed and flopped down on it, wondering why the man looked disappointed when I had no reaction to what he said. Why would I? I had no memory. Whatever the League of Shadows was, I was apparently part of it. Why was I part of it, though? I had been awake for almost two weeks now and since I had woken up, my questions never stopped. I never asked out loud, however. I knew what certain things were, and I could function like a normal human being, but there was a certain detachment I felt that I was sure should not have been there.

The training I was going through seemed rather frivolous to me. It started out with simply cleaning and doing chores and following people's commands. It was infuriating, and finally I had managed to snap. It was an older woman, dark brown hair, a pale complexion, with dark eyes, she actually seemed to be of Asian decent. She, out of everyone, had infuriated me the most. Without so much as a though I gripped her head and twisted until I heard a sickening pop. I had broken her neck and strangely felt a lack of remorse. Everyone around me stared, both scaring me and irritating me, and before I could ponder any further I ran back down the familiar hallways until I reached the room I had woken up in. The room where I started to exist.

Soon enough another presence joined me, the same man from before. His expression was firm, but he held no anger as I stared over at him, my head tilting in confusion. "You are still good at killing, but you have that same temper as before." He frowned as I perked up, my eyes wide. He apparently knew who I was before I started to exist. "Ra's, you know me from before. So why a new name? Why was I put into this?" I paused, brushing my fingers over the silvery container. "I have so many questions left unanswered." I stared up at him as he gave a half smile, but I had no reason to return it. I was far too curious to feel much of anything until my questions had answers. "A student, you asked to come here, and I offered this, you accepted." He frowned a moment, his dark eyes focusing on mine. "Why?" I stared hard into his dark eyes as he let out a soft sigh. "You wished to forget, and it seems to have worked." He shrugged, then paused, recalling why he had followed me in the first place.

"Tomorrow we're starting on your temper, then back to regular training it is. I do not need you breaking the necks of your new family." Ra's left the room, leaving me to ponder. Why had I wanted to forget? I let out a soft groan, exiting the room and heading for where I slept. The answers were going to forever evade me, I was certain. It was unfortunate and unavoidable. Once more I let sleep over take me, my mind dreading what might come tomorrow.


End file.
